The yarn above is spun from the roving below. The roving is wool/mohair from Persimmon Tree Farm. I had about 3.6 ounces, from which I spun 190 yards of singles. There were a couple of dramatic color transitions, so I decided to make a two-ply. The final skein is 95 yards of a nice worsted/aran weight yarn. The colors are rich and well dispersed throughout the skein. A close-up picture of the yarn.

I used Leigh's microwave drying technique! It was kind of fun to "cook" yarn in the microwave.

And some answers about the Shedir hat knit with alpaca yarn:

1. Yes, I added a few extra rows of ribbing. The cuff folds back and covers some of the pattern (the transition between ribbing in pattern makes a natural fold line). One of the reasons that I have to fold it up is that (of course) it's knit a bit more loosely than specified in the pattern. So, the hat is rather large - but comfy large, not fall in my eyes large.

2. There was a question from Ann about the lack of elasticity in alpaca yarn. This is the first thing that I've completed with alpaca yarn, so it remains to be seen how the hat will hold it's shape over time and during use. The material is very stretchy, but the yarn itself was not very elastic - I think that was one reason why the stitches held their distorted shapes.

3. Mary Beth - I think the wool/cotton would make a really nice version of this hat. I was considering it myself. I think I bought some for a "Miss Bea" sweater that I may never make - perhaps it will find a home in one of these hats!

Thanks for all of the compliments! Again, my compliments to Jenna. It's a great pattern.